The suspects, comprising Chinese and Malaysian nationals, were found during coordinated inspections of five rental properties in the northern province on May 12. Authorities seized 31 laptops, a desktop computer and 48 mobile phones.
Investigators said the group had entered Vietnam under false pretences and was engaging in activities inconsistent with the purposes stated in their visa applications.
According to police, the suspects used devices installed with HelloGPT and operated multiple Telegram, Zalo and WhatsApp accounts to create online groups promoting investments in stocks, USDT and cryptocurrencies through unregulated trading platforms.
After victims transferred money, another team allegedly manipulated trading results to steal their funds.
Police also uncovered a separate scheme in which victims were recruited to carry out e-commerce purchasing tasks in return for commissions. They were initially assigned low-value tasks before being encouraged to transfer larger sums, which were then allegedly appropriated by the fraudsters.
One suspect told investigators he had been sent to Vietnam to prepare for recruiting online sports bettors ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
